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Are Patriots and Vikings on collision course for Super Bowl 52?

We are now down to three games left in this NFL season and what a weekend it was for the divisional round. Only four teams are left standing to take home the Lombardi Trophy but before the Super Bowl, fans and bettors will be treated to Championship Sunday.

Here’s a look at the betting odds for who will represent their respective conferences in Minnesota on February 4 per Bovada.

AFC Championship

While most experts predicted the New England Patriots would be playing in this contest (they’ve made the AFC championship game in six straight years), what many couldn’t have forecast was who their opponent would be. The Jacksonville Jaguars ruined the potential heavyweight matchup NFL fans were expecting when they edged the Pittsburgh Steelers 45-42.

The Pats’ odds to get back to the Super Bowl are not juicy at all at -480 on Bovada as online sportsbooks saw what we saw and that was a New England demolition of the Tennessee Titans at home. The Patriots made quick work of the Titans and pushed their streak of 30 or more points in playoff games to four. The Patriots have also won three of their last four AFC championships in Foxborough and are 9-4 SU in 13 conference championship games in the franchise’s history.

However, Jacksonville may have the recipe to disrupt the Patriots and continue to shake up the NFL playoffs. New England’s losses in the AFC title game during that six-year stretch were to teams with a dominant defense such as the Ravens and Broncos.

The Jaguars’ front seven on defense is ferocious and even though they just gave up 42 points to the Steelers, Sacksonville has the personnel to make it a miserable game for Tom Brady and company. At odds of +340, it would be an upset of epic proportions for the Jaguars to make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

ODDS TO WIN AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

New England Patriots -480

Jacksonville Jaguars +340

NFC Championship

Nick Foles and Case Keenum. If you predicted this season’s NFC championship game would be quarterbacked by two Rams retreads, you should be doing something better with your foresight than wagering on football.

The Minnesota Vikings are the favorite in this matchup at -175 but needed “The Minnesota Miracle” to even have an opportunity to play at Lincoln Financial Field. The Vikings and Eagles both have incredible defenses (ranked first and fifth in points allowed per game) and Philly has only lost once at home this season. The Vikings won’t have the luxury of playing in front of their home fans in this round but can be the first team to host a Super Bowl if they can make it past the Birds.

The Eagles can be had at +155 and just got done holding the Atlanta Falcons to only 10 points. Where they may fall short is on the offensive side of the ball as Foles has yet to show any offensive progression since replacing Carson Wentz. He and the Eagles have only managed 34 points in his last three starts.

ODDS TO WIN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

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It is officially playoff season. We have trimmed the fat and only 12 teams remain in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. But before that, teams must do battle to determine who represents their respective conferences in Super Bowl 52.

Who is the favorite to win the AFC and NFC championship games? Here’s a look at the betting odds for both the conferences per BetOnline.

AFC Championship Odds

Surprise! It’s the New England Patriots (-135). The Pats finished the regular season in the top spot in the AFC and tied for the best record in the NFL. It’s the same as always – the Pats are incredibly experienced in the postseason and have the greatest coach-quarterback duo ever. There is nothing interesting to say aside from “the Patriots are really good again.”

The second-best odds belong to the Pittsburgh Steelers (+260). Mike Tomlin’s team ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in points, total offense, points allowed and sacks. The Steelers have no real glaring weakness. The secondary can give up some big plays and the health of Antonio Brown will be a major factor, but this is the team most likely to be able to travel to Foxborough and beat the Pats.

The real dark horse is the Jacksonville Jaguars (+900). The team has arguably the best defense in the NFL and that is unlikely to change despite the relative playoff inexperience. The real question mark surrounds Blake Bortles. Nearly everybody completely gave up on the quarterback this past offseason but he has rewarded the Jags with the best play of his career. As long as the defense can give him short fields and he doesn’t make mistakes, the Jaguars can make noise.

NFC Championship Odds

The NFC is filled to the brim with question marks. The top team is undoubtedly the Minnesota Vikings (+165), who are arguably the most consistent team in the NFL. Case Keenum has yet to make a playoff start but the quarterback has done nothing but provide a steady presence under center. They have the best scoring defense in the NFL. The biggest weakness might be kicker Kai Forbath, who is nothing more than average.

After the Vikings, it is a total guessing game. The Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams are all tied for the second-best odds (+450) but all bring skepticism with excitement.

The Eagles would be favorites had Carson Wentz not been injured. Instead, Philly will be relying on Nick Foles – who does not have the luxury of Chip Kelly making him a Pro Bowler. The Saints went just 4-4 away from the Superdome this season. The Rams are a feel-good story but almost nobody on the roster has any playoff experience whatsoever.

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We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2017 NFL season, and to say this year has featured a litany of surprises would be an understatement. That’s caused oddsmakers to be on their toes more than ever, which has led to a ton of value in futures betting.

Here’s how the AFC and NFC futures are looking heading into Week 9 at Bovada.

AFC Championship Odds

The more things change, the more they stay the same in the AFC. The defending champion New England Patriots were the heavy +160 favorites to win the conference at the beginning of the campaign and there hasn’t been much of a shift since as the book is offering them for +150 now.

After starting off the campaign on a rocky note, the Pats are unsurprisingly rounding into form once again. The defense was initially a major issue but the unit has tightened up since in four straight wins over Tampa Bay, the New York Jets, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Chargers. You’re not going to find much value, but no other team in the AFC is looking as good as the Pats right now.

Outside of New England, Pittsburgh (+350) and Kansas City (+400) appear to be the only other serious contenders right now. K.C. has stumbled a little bit after a hot start but features one of the top offenses in the league, thanks to quarterback Alex Smith, who still hasn’t thrown an interception this year. Pittsburgh is as talented as ever on both sides of the ball, yet it’s hard to erase last season’s ugly performance in the AFC championship game from memory.

NFC Championship Odds

The landscape of the NFC vastly changed when Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in a game vs the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, and the Packers’ odds to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl took a tumble as a result. Now sitting with the ninth-best odds to win the conference, Green Bay is an afterthought behind backup QB Brett Hundley.

The new favorites are the surprising Philadelphia Eagles, who lead the way at +250. Philly wasn’t even favored to win its own division prior to the season, but the ascending Carson Wentz has taken the Eagles to new heights in 2017, which has fans in the City of Brotherly Love dreaming of that elusive Super Bowl victory for the first time since Donovan McNabb was in town.

The NFC is significantly more wide open than the AFC, as Seattle (+450), Minnesota (+700), Atlanta (+900), Dallas (+900), the Los Angeles Rams (+1000) and New Orleans Saints (+1000) all look like serious contenders. It’s incredibly tough to predict which squad is going to win the conference banner, but there’s no shortage of value for football bettors right now.

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The cream of the crop in the professional sports world has arrived, as the NFL season is finally here. When it comes to futures betting, the two stalwarts of the AFC and NFC own the shortest odds to win the conferences.

AFC Championship Odds

Don’t act surprised to see the Patriots atop the list. I think we all saw this coming. Last year’s Super Bowl champs are still the most talented team in the conference and as much as it pains me to write, I don’t know who’s going to beat them. Tom Brady and his never-ending prime should carry a somewhat improved club back to an AFC East title and 12-plus wins.

It’s true that they walked all over the conference in 2016 but if Derek Carr hadn’t broken his fibula in Week 16, the Raiders could have made things interesting in one of the worst postseasons in recent memory. Sitting third behind the Pats at +700 on the conference futures board this year, the Raiders could have the best shot to end New England’s run of tyranny. Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers rank behind the Pats at +525.

An up-and-coming team to keep an eye on is the Tennessee Titans at +1800. Not getting a ton of press, the Titans are primed to shock and awe this season with their receiving corps getting a serious facelift. Marcus Mariota is a serious talent under center and with some real weapons at his disposal for once, watch out – the third-year gunslinger could have an explosive year.

Do the Titans have an excellent shot to make it to the Super Bowl? Probably not, but the price they’re being offered at is wrong.

NFC Championship Odds

After completing his promise to run the table, Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to the brink of a fourth NFC championship but was eventually out-dueled by Matt Ryan and the high-octane Falcons for the right to lose to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. An impressive offseason, though, has fueled the hype for the green and gold and Bovada has tabbed them as the massive +400 favorites to come out of the NFC for the first time since 2010.

Behind the faves it’s the Seahawks (+500), Falcons (+600) and Cowboys (+650). If you’re in the camp that justifiably thinks the Packers are overpriced, you can’t go wrong with any of those three teams.

The Falcons flew through the NFC in the 2016 playoffs and they did it without Desmond Trufant, their best defensive player. On top of that, the Dirty Birds didn’t lose anyone significant from their historically good offense – other than Kyle Shanahan. Expect a fierce title defense from Atlanta with quarterback Matt Ryan following up an MVP season.

As for the Cowboys, it’s hard not to like them – in the betting sense – on the heels of a 13-3 regular season. Dak Prescott’s brilliance last year might have been a flash in the pan but the Boys are the most well-rounded team in the conference so they should be fine if the sophomore has a bit of a slump. The suspension of Ezekiel Elliott is going to have a huge impact on the team in the early going, but if the Cowboys can tread water without him, they’ll be tough to stop when he returns to the team.

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